Newsletter: It's Time to Win Free Transfers

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 102

5th Square will be holding our 2020 candidate endorsement votes in mid-February. Become a member today for as little as $5 a month to vote on our candidate slate in this year's state legislative primaries.

Primary elections are on April 28th this year, so make sure to register to vote online or update your voting address.

ACTION

We're going to win free transfers

SEPTA's new General Manager Leslie Richards tells KYW she's open to eliminating the $1 transfer penalty in this year's fare package, which SEPTA's board will vote on later this spring.

Three years ago, 5th Square and Clean Air Council volunteers and supporters helped put this issue on the agenda at SEPTA, and we're thrilled to see their new leadership is open to getting it done this year.

These are going to be a critical few months for our One City, One Fare campaign for free transfers, and we're asking anyone who hasn't already done so to sign onto our Free Transfers petition to receive action alerts this spring about how you can help win this important change that will make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of fellow Philadelphians.

Petition signers will receive news updates and action alerts about the upcoming SEPTA Board meetings and other events this spring that we're going to everybody who supports this cause to show up for.

Sign On

EVENTS

Wednesday, January 29th, 6 - 8 PM
Sound Off: Reframing the News
Resolve is teaming up with Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication to host a community discussion about language, news, and representation.

Sunday, February 2nd, 11 AM - 4 PM
VietLead's 4th Annual Tet Festival
VietLead’s event aims to celebrate and share Vietnamese culture, uplift different cultural practices, and raise awareness of issues impacting communities of color in Philadelphia. This year, the event will be organized as a winter block party in front of Hoa Binh Plaza.

Wednesday, February 5th, 9:30 AM - 5 AM
Red Lines, Red Tape: Combatting the Housing Crisis & Ending Residential Segregation
Join Penn Law’s Journal of Law & Public Affairs for its annual symposium. This year’s symposium will discuss topics ranging from housing discrimination and affordable housing development to racial segregation in America’s cities.

Thursday, February 6th, 8 - 9:30 AM
Design Advocacy Group - Balancing New with the Old: Renovation, New Construction & Adapt
Ken Weinstein, President of Philly Office Retail and Founder of Jumpstart Germantown and Jumpstart Philly, will discuss current and future projects focusing on how he, and other developers, can reuse, renovate and redevelop; growing the local economy while strengthening our neighborhoods.

Thursday, February 6th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
GRASP Hosts Candidates for State Senate - 1st District
Join Grassroots Advocacy for South Philadelphia as they host candidates running for the 1st Senatorial District of PA! Confirmed candidates are Senator Larry Farnese (1st-PA), and Nikil Saval.

Become a Member

NEWS

Thanks to your help, our late-breaking push calling on SEPTA to fix the Route 15 trolleys worked! After a rumor broke last week that SEPTA would be converting trolley service to buses on Girard, and that the PCC trolleys would be out of commission indefinitely, we launched a petition campaign on Monday that set off lots of media coverage and brought volunteers and supporters out to SEPTA's Board meeting.

New SEPTA GM Leslie Richards announced at the meeting that the trolleys would be repaired during a construction project that would have taken them off the road anyway for about a year, and would be back on the road next year. Thanks to everybody who mobilized in a pinch to help make this happen!

Big news for El riders: SEPTA is discontinuing A/B skip-stop service on the MFL in February so riders won’t have to worry about boarding a train that doesn’t make their stop. SEPTA has said they will adjust the train schedule and potentially run more trains to adapt to the new policy.

(Image Credit: Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

South Philly Review talks to Washington Avenue neighbors and some 5th Square volunteers about a new organizing push to make Washington Avenue safer for pedestrians, cyclists when the street is resurfaced in 2021. As this corridor leaves behind its industrial past for more mixed residential and commercial uses, it's long past time to make sure the street design puts pedestrian safety first.

(Image Credit: Google Maps)

Streetsblog covers Mayor Kenney's transportation promises made during his inaugural speech— 40 miles of new protected bike lanes and a comprehensive redesign of the our bus network, and talks with Dena Driscoll of 5th Square and Sarah Clark Stuart of the Bicycle Coalition. Randy LoBasso at the BCGP blog makes the case for optimism about Kenney's second term.

(Image Credit: Philadelphia City Council)

Local Stories We're Reading:

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Where the wild things park: Why so many cars in Philly park illegally

WHYY: 4 ways Philly can fight illegal dumping

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: 40 Miles of Protected Bike Lanes by 2024? It’s Definitely Possible

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly has added ‘Snowcats’ to tackle smaller streets. So where’s all the snow?

City of Philadelphia: City Receives 2019 Bike Apron in Support of Protected Bike Lanes | Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability

Medium: A Letter to Society Hill: Remove the Hold on Safer Streets along Spruce and Pine

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia asked residents what they think of city government and most aren’t satisfied

KYW: In Society Hill, a disagreement over how to protect bike lanes

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly zoning board nears decision on developer Bart Blatstein’s waterfront Wawa gas station

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Luxury apartments finished near Lansdale SEPTA station; stores and restaurants coming

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Law firm lease clears way for Center City’s first non-Comcast office tower in a generation

National Stories We're Reading:

TransitCenter: Derailed: How Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan Crashed at the Polls— And What Other Cities Can Learn From It

Wired: Making Public Transit Fairer to Women Demands Way More Data

Sightline Institute: Washington to Consider Re-legalizing Duplexes and Rowhouses Statewide

Oregonlive: Opinion: A war on cars? No, just planning for a fairer future

NPR: Why The Housing Crisis Is A Problem For Everyone — Even Wealthy Homeowners

The Economist: Globally, road accidents kill more people every year than malaria or HIV/AIDS

TreeHugger: Why building density matters as much as building efficiency

Streetsblog USA: Emissions Report: Cars Are Still Our Biggest Problem

Fast Company: U.S. mayors like the idea of being less car-focused but hate the policies that could make it happen

New York Daily News: A Brooklyn community fought a bike lane in 2017: Two years later, DOT says it’s saved lives

Pittsburgh City Paper: Soon you'll be able to pay Port Authority bus fare on your phone

New York Post: Council Speaker Corey Johnson wants cops to stop ticketing jaywalking

Streetsblog New York City: Camera Enforcement is Nice, But Buses Work Best on Streets Without Cars, MTA Data Shows

The Guardian: 'The streets are more alive': Ghent readers on a car-free city centre

Brookings: Who’s to blame for high housing costs? It’s more complicated than you think.

Volunteer with 5th Square

PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES

Grants for play in Philadelphia: KaBOOM! and William Penn Foundation invite you to apply for Play Everywhere Philly, an exciting new program awarding $1M to support child development and literacy skills through play installations in Philadelphia. Idea Form due 3/6/2020.

Serve Philadelphia is holding its Civic Engagement Academy. The Civic Engagement Academy is about inspiring local community change through training and skills development.

DVRPC is accepting applications for the TCDI grant program through February 21, 2020. The program is available to all municipal and county governments, as well as transit agencies within the Greater Philadelphia region. Up to $1,800,000 may be available for TCDI grants: $1,200,000 in Pennsylvania and $600,000 in New Jersey. Visit www.dvrpc.org/tcdi to read the program guidelines and application schedule.

TransitCenter: Women Changing Transportation: The Mentorship Program - TransitCenter -- Applications are now open for the 2020 program!

Re-design Philly’s Election Day stickers! The City Commissioner’s Office is partnering with the School District of Philadelphia and hosting a competition open to all students of Philadelphia schools and residents of Philadelphia. The competition will run the entire month of January so get designing!

PWD’s Soak It Up Adoption program. This grant-based green stormwater infrastructure (‘GSI’) monitoring and engagement program is actively seeking new partners for 2020. The bottom line is that civics and nonprofits who are eligible can receive small, annual grants to care for constructed GSI within their borders. The program is built upon a two-prong approach of weekly GSI site visits, and reporting, as well as community engagement.

Nominations are also open for the Clean Air Commuter Award. Do you or someone you know brave snow covered sidewalks, rainy bike rides, or early morning small talk to get to work each day, reflecting your commitment to the environment? Enter the most dedicated sustainable commuter you know in our annual Clean Air Commuter of the Year award! Fill out this form to nominate a Clean Air Commuter! Nominations for the Clean Air Commute Awards close on March 15, 2020.

Nominate a Clean Air Commute Employer! The Clean Air Council is looking to honor the most sustainable-commute-friendly, Philly-based employer!

SEPTA Citizen Advisory Committee - Membership Application - this group is made up of transit riders representing Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. There are currently a number of vacant positions and we are seeking transit riders, from across the SEPTA service region to apply to become a CAC member.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The Office of Mayor William Peduto is undertaking a nationwide search to hire a City Planning Director for the City of Pittsburgh.

The Office of the Philadelphia City Controller is seeking a General Counsel

The City of Philadelphia's Department of Planning and Development, Division of Development Services is seeking a Project Coordinator

The Office of Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) seeks a motivated individual who is committed to public service to serve as a Legislative Aide.

The Office of Budget and Program Evaluation is seeking an Assistant Budget Director for Analysis & Communications in its Budget Office.

The Connelly Foundation is seeking a Program Assistant

Azavea is looking for a fast-learning and meticulous person to join their team on a permanent part-time basis (15-25 hours per week) as an accountant.

Pennsylvania Voice is seeking a Field and Program Associate, Operations Manager, and Western PA Civic Engagement Manager

US General Services Administration is seeking a Fine Arts Specialist

The City of Philadelphia's Law Department is seeking a Director of Professional Development, Diversity & Inclusion

AFSCME is seeking a Political Action Representative

United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey is seeking a Private Philanthropy Officer, Leadership Giving & Women United

American Rivers is seeking an Urban Stormwater Associate Director

The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation is seeking a Director of Institutional Giving

Now hiring crossing guards: part-time job with benefits - The City of Philadelphia is now hiring crossing guards to help students walk safely to and from schools.

South Philly Food Co-op is hiring managers, clerks and cashiers. Hiring deadline extended!

City of Philadelphia, Dept of Public Health - Fiscal and Project Tracking Manager

Capital Access Project and Grants Management Services (CAPGMS) seeks to engage a programmer on a contract basis to help establish as many automated functions as possible within the Office 365 platform of programs and applications to make the user-experience as secure and efficient as possible for CAPGMS Clients and CAPGMS staff.

Philly Startup Leaders (PSL) is hiring a Community Engagement Coordinator

CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia seeks a full-time Finance Coordinator to join the Finance & Operations team.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is hiring the following positions: Associate Director, Trees; Associate Director of Volunteers and Competitive Classes; Program Manager, Gardener Engagement; Field Coordinator; Horticulture Intern; Human Resources Intern

The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) is seeking a Software Engineer

The Lenfest Local Lab is looking for a community-focused email newsletter editor to oversee a series of exciting neighborhood newsletter pilot projects in collaboration with The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2020.

The Philadelphia Chapter of AIA (American Institute of Architects) and the Center for Architecture and Design are seeking a communications and social media coordinator for both the Chapter and the Center.

Neighborhood Bike Works is seeking a Youth Program Director and Mechanic/Sales Manager.

Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) seeks a creative, reliable and well-organized Office Administrator

The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia is seeking an entrepreneurial, team-oriented professional with program management experience to direct the Philadelphia Anchors for Growth and Equity (PAGE) program.

Delaware River Port Authority is seeking a Sr. Engineer - Grade 12

LISC Philadelphia seeks a self-motivated individual to fill a Program Assistant position.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is seeking to hire a Capital Grants Specialist

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is hiring a Transportation Modeler / Analyst

NACTO is hiring 1) Director of Engagement, 2) Program Manager, Design Education, 3) Sr. Communications Associate, GDCI

ApostropheCMS is seeking a Marketing Manager

Montgomery County, PA is seeking a Planner and a Section Chief of Trails

City Councilmember-elect Kendra Brooks is seeking staff.

BridgePoint Associates, a housing development nonprofit, is seeking a Chief Executive Officer

The University of Pennsylvania is hiring a Senior Writer, Special Projects, reporting directly to the Executive Director for Strategy, Engagement and Campaign.

Friends of the Rail Park is seeking an Executive Director

The Economy League is seeking a Director, Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange

The Kensington Corridor Trust seeks an Executive Director

Benefits Data Trust (BDT) seeks a Chief of Staff.

Tiny WPA is growing and is hiring for three positions: Lead Fabricator, Building Hero Project Manager, Part-Time Fabricator

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